Abdullah Ocalan vs Leila Khaled

Abdullah Ocalan founded the PKK in 1978 as a Marxist-Leninist organization seeking Kurdish independence. The group launched an armed insurgency against Turkey in 1984, leading to a decades-long conflict that has caused tens of thousands of deaths.

Ocalan was captured in Nairobi, Kenya, on February 15, 1999, by Turkish intelligence operatives. He was brought to Turkey and put on trial. His capture was a major blow to the PKK and led to a temporary ceasefire.

In 1999, Ocalan was sentenced to death by a Turkish court for treason and separatism. However, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2002 after Turkey abolished the death penalty as part of EU reforms.

From his prison cell, Ocalan called for a ceasefire in March 2013, initiating a peace process with the Turkish government. The process collapsed in 2015, but it represented a significant attempt to end the conflict.

Khaled participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 from Rome to Athens. The plane was diverted to Damascus, where passengers were released after the plane was blown up. The operation brought global attention to the Palestinian cause.

Khaled attempted to hijack El Al Flight 219 from Amsterdam to New York. Israeli security forces foiled the attempt, and Khaled was captured and handed over to British authorities. She was later released in a prisoner exchange.

After the hijackings, Khaled became a globally recognized symbol of Palestinian armed struggle. Her image, often showing a keffiyeh and holding a gun, was widely circulated in media and propaganda.